After the Last Tear: Rising from the Ashes of a Broken Marriage By Cassila K

Chapter 36

Joseph and I started dating, but our demanding jobs meant we rarely had time to see each other.

Most of our encounters took place in war-torn regions-he'd be rushing to treat the wounded, while I'd be in the operating room, fighting to save lives.

A fleeting touch as we brushed past each other was often the only connection we shared.

The patchy network signal didn't help either. Days would pass without hearing from each other, but then, out of nowhere, my phone would buzz nonstop as messages flooded in. They were disorganized, chaotic, as if they too had braved gunfire and destruction, but they carried the weight of longing and steadfast affection.

The situation in North Kivu grew increasingly dire.

Our first argument happened on the day a village near Goma was attacked.

When we arrived, the armed militants hadn't fully retreated, and the security forces were still exchanging fire with them.

We rushed back to the vehicle, preparing to evacuate, but Joseph suddenly jumped out of the ambulance.

There, at the edge of the battlefield, lay a collapsed villager.

Joseph hoisted the man onto his back and carried him to safety, his own body cut and bleeding from shrapnel.

I was furious and terrified, yelling at him, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

But he stood his ground. "I'm a doctor! I couldn't just leave him there! His leg was injured, but he could've survived. If I didn't save him, he would've died for sure!"

I knew he was right, and I knew it was his duty to save lives.

when he returned covered in blood-so much blood I couldn't tell which was

his injuries were only superficial, I

I can't lose anyone else! If something happened to you, what

before wrapping his arms around me, his

I'll be more careful. I won't put

in his chest. "You have

swear," he said, taking

it will

couldn't help but laugh through my tears. "If you really turn

introduce you to

boyfriend?"

a pillow at him in frustration. He lay still, pretending to be dead. Panicked, I quickly pulled the pillow away, only to see his sly smile

say: See? I'm not that easy to

my eyes stung and blurred with

moment, I realized how precious every

war escalated, the Ebola virus began its relentless

Joseph was even busier. With a severe shortage of medical staff, he shuttled back and forth between refugee camps and the

doctors were forced to abandon their posts and evacuate immediately.

stable. On the other hand, nearly a hundred patients remained in the center. If everyone left, those patients would have no choice but to wait for death in

stay and adapt to the

quickly worsened. Armed groups occupied the outskirts of Goma, cutting off all routes in and out. We were trapped in the

to come to the treatment center. He didn't

out, I saw a group of Hutu children—over ten of them. They had